Wild and Young
by Irish Maverick
Summary: Another season of NXT beckons and for one small-time wrestler the dream is on, but with an egomaniac pro and having to listen to Michael Cole how long will it be before that dream becomes a nightmare?


Disclaimer: I do not own WWE or any wrestling promotions mentioned or made fun of in this fic, go away lawyers.

"Clocking out Derek."

The security guard looked up from his magazine as his younger colleague slid down the stair rail towards him.

"One of these day's you're gonna really hurt yourself doing that Brad" he sighed before looking back down. "Go on, scram before Pearson persuades you to work overtime."

Brad just laughed loudly and lifted his bag over his shoulder. "Not even if he paid me triple old man, tonight's the big night remember?"

"Oh yeah, that match you've been talking non-stop about for the past three weeks? How could I forget? Well good luck anyway, break a leg... but not..."

"My own because then you'd have to cover my shifts" the younger man finished. "You make that joke every time, must be as old as you are now."

"Tell ya what Brad, I'll stop using that line when you get a decent hairstyle."

Brad subconsciously ran a hand through his spikey brown hair then laughed again. "Whatever gramps, just remember me when I'm bigger than Elvis OK?"

With that the younger man gave a small wave and stepped out the door, Derek shook his head then gave a quiet laugh to himself.

"Brad Ryan has left the building... thank God."

* * *

"Got the directions to this place?" The first man asked his partner as they headed towards the nearest car rental business.

"Yeah I got them" the other man sighed. "Can't believe the show's gotten so low they have us scouring the high-school gyms in the middle of nowhere to make the numbers up, can't we just cancel it and be done with it?"

"Hey, the boss wants it to keep running, and for as long as it's running we have to find wrestlers for it, now, got the name of the kid we're meant to be watching?"

"Yeah it's in the file" his partner sighed pulling out the small folder in question and opening it as they walked. "Kid's name is Brad Ryan, wrestles as 'B-Rad', aged twenty two, born and raised Auburn Maine, works part time as a security guard at a local warehouse, wrestled all over Maine and has branched out into other Indy promotions in the New England region, has had tryouts for two known 'Major' Indy promotions, no main titles but is more often than not in the match of the night. Doesn't sound too bad."

"B-Rad?" The first man bit back a laugh. "Well that name is out if he passes the test, doesn't look to bad" he pulled out a photo of a tallish young man with spikey brown hair in the process of slamming another man. "I mean, he's no Hulk Hogan but he looks better than most of the Indy guys we've had to watch."

"Can he wrestle is the question though? It says here match of the night but for all we know it could just be he's slightly less crap than everything else."

"All in the name really, Maine Event Wrestling? Really?"

His partner just laughed. "Well the sooner we check him out the sooner we never have to come back here again."

"Sounds fair to me, now, I believe it's your turn to rent the car...

* * *

"B-Rad?" Brad looked up from where he'd just finished lacing up his boots. "You're up."

"Another day another dollar" the young man sighed, standing up and stretching. "Well, another twenty bucks if I'm lucky."

"Just do what you do best and steal the show" the other wrestler smirked before standing back. "Just remember the little people when you reach the top."

"Dude, I'm just as little as you in the grand scheme of things" he opened the locker room door bust hesitated before stepping through. "They're not sending me out to 'Pretty Fly for a White Guy' again are they?"

"Nah, not as funny after the first time."

"Good" Brad sighed as he remembered that particular event, still the fans had laughed, he reached the curtain that closed the corridor off from the high-school gym where this particular show was taking place, his opponent, some new guy from another state, was already in the ring waiting for him and from the sounds of the crowd was doing a very good job at getting under their skin, time to play the hometown hero.

The opening beats of his song hit, a happy little track he recognised as being from one of the many video games back at his apartment, waiting until just the right time he burst through the curtain to the cheers of the relatively large (for one of their shows) crowd. Grinning from ear-to-ear he ran a lap of the ring slapping hands with the kids that seemed to make up the entire front row, some he recognised from past shows others who seemed new but still stuck their hands out for him. That finished he jumped up to the apron and sprang over the top-rope into the ring where he eyed his opponent up for the first time. The guy was big, certainly bigger than he was and built like a brick outhouse, giving him a smirk he jumped up on the ropes to hype up the crowd again as the announcer finished introducing him earning himself a chant from the crowd, as he turned he saw his opponent roll his eyes and smirked, this guy was like so many others, taking himself serious as though he was some big star, these one's were always great to bring down a peg.

The bell rang to bring him out of his trance as his opponent tried to get the drop on him quickly, he danced out of reach and wagged a finger while continuing to grin.

"Now, now, play nice" he laughed before locking up, the other guy quickly overpowering him into a headlock, Brad quickly pushed him back into the ropes and used them to push him off only for the bigger man to power right through him with a tackle, the guy gave him a mocking smirk before heading off the ropes again, Brad jumped to his feet and leapfrogged the guy before meeting him with a quick armdrag and putting on a headlock of his own. The guy just laughed and pushed him off before dropping at his feet to trip him, Brad just used the ropes to stop himself then stood on the man's back and posed.

"Ghost ride!" He yelled to the laughs of the crowd, before jumping off, the guy jumped to his feet looking mad and charged right into a hiptoss, Brad quickly gave him a second then lifted the guy up for a slam! He held him for a moment to show off then sent him down hard, the guy bounced right back up and retreated to the ropes only for Brad to steam into him with a clothesline to send him over. As he was recovering Brad turned to each section of the crowd to hype them up then ran forward and flew over the top-rope onto him! Jumping back to his feet Brad slapped hands with a few of the kids then rolled his opponent back in and climbed to the apron by the corner, he waited until his opponent was up then sprang from the apron the top-rope, turning his back to the ring as he did and flew off the ropes with a moonsault, his opponent had moved but Brad landed on his feet only for the bigger man to meet him with a huge clothesline that almost turned him inside out.

_Wow, that hurt..._

The big man was quick to press his advantage, hurling Brad around the ring with ease, the crowd tried to bring their hometown boy back into the fight but every small comeback was cut off before it could even get started, eventually the big guy seemed to get bored and dragged Brad over to the corner then climbed to the middle rope, he flipped the booing crowd off and threw himself backwards but Brad had already moved! The big man rolled to his feet where Brad met him with a clothesline, the big man staggered as Brad came off the ropes and hit another, he reeled but didn't go down as Brad hit the ropes again, he threw a wild clothesline but Brad ducked it then kicked him in the face when he tried a backdrop, he reeled into the ropes and staggered back into Brad who snapmared him over, hit the ropes and booted him right in the face!

The big guy was finally down but Brad decided not to pin him and instead began hyping up the crowd again, the big man struggled to his feet where Brad booted him in the gut, hooked his arms and heaved the big man up into a Tiger-Driver! He held on for the pin and smirked as the referee counted the three.

"B-Rad does it again!" He yelled as he jumped out of the ring and slapped hands with the fans on his way to the back, at the curtain he turned and posed one last time. "God I love my job..."

* * *

"So what did you think?"

"Well, he's far from the finished article, then again who on the show is? Put him with a good pro and he should go far."

"So he passed the test?"

"Yup" the second man smirked pulling out his phone. "Better call up and tell the powers that be to add one more to the NXT lineup."

* * *

_Yeah... it will get better I swear... or hope... anywho, enjoy._


End file.
